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The Forbidden City
Many and varied are the tales of Ni Firbos Tal, the Forbidden City. Though the dark elves remain largely nomadic, there is one place where they gather, at an old and stable location in the Deeps, to trade with each other. It is a place where the clans organize themselves and settle disputes, a place defended by the best scrounged material the dark elves have managed to come across, including, it is rumored, partially restored or replica Zadah artifacts. It is, without question, the one part of dark elf society that is absolutely, uncompromisingly off-limits to everyone... almost. Despite the lack of standardization and uniformity in the defenses, the Forbidden City lives up to its name. Should an actual surface government wish to wage war upon the dark elves, the denizens of the Deeps would likely be unable to repel it, but it would be costly, time consuming, and dangerous. Opportunistic bands of raiders or overambitious mercenary groups, down on their luck, are the only ones willing to make the attempt, assuming (correctly) that a vast treasure trove of artifacts and other magic await the group that could sack the city. None have been successful so far. The city exists a fair but not unreasonable distance from Azhahad itself, but most of the distance is vertical, only easily traversed by the elves with their spiders. Beyond that, however (and completely discounting the local wildlife trying to consume interlopers), an unwelcome force must contend with the Infinite Web, an expanse of Behemoth Spider Silk that is woven and re-woven into intricate and disorienting patterns in a network of caves and tunnels that, as the name suggests, do feature a number of loops and dead ends. Caravans passing in and out use the Behemoth Spiders' sense of smell to guide them through, though a few groups also have access to one of the prized enchanted lanterns that have been attuned to the city and will show the way. Finally, there is the city itself, defended by the dark elves, the aforementioned spiders, and all of the assorted toys they've recovered from nations and times that the surface has forgotten. Not content with mere scavenging, the Forbidden City is large enough to support job specialization and innovation, and the Nym have cooked up their own, unique surprises. Every now and then, for acts of great charity or heroism, a surfacer is permitted within the city. They describe a beautiful sight, carved out by dark elves short on everything but time. The city is ruled over by a matriarch... ''the ''Matriarch, as the local citizens refer to her only by her title. While decisions are made at the clan level, she is a first among matriarchs, settling disputes and breaking ties. The temperature is quite hot, in keeping with most of the Deeps being warmer than one would expect, and steams and mists curl though the streets and above the canals. Habitations run up the walls and even across the ceilings as the city life progresses much as it would in a surface town - children play, warriors train, tinkerers tinker, people work, and every now and then a caravan can be seen ascending into or descending from the Infinite Web. It is an impressive sight, a city-state in its own right, and those who have been and return say they can see clearly why the elves work hard to maintain it with their trade and craftsmanship.